Corded Electric String Trimmer Buyer's Guide

How To Pick The Perfect Corded Electric String Trimmer

Electric string trimmers are light-weight, between 5-10 pounds, so you don't need to be a big hoss to use one.

As long as you stay within a 50-100 foot radius of an outlet (for the extension cord), these trimmers are the perfect choice for small yards, up to about 1/4 acre or for minor trimming needs, such as light grass and weeds.

There are few features to consider when buying a corded electric string trimmer:

Swivel Cutting HeadA nice feature on some models is a swivel cutting head. This allows you to turn the head of the string trimmer up to 90 degrees.

A swivel cutting head will allow your string trimmer to act like an edger, perfectly manicuring sharp edges along sidewalks, driveways and flower beds.

Tool-Less Line SwapIf you have experience using a string trimmer, you know the line is going to eventually run out and need to be replaced. You’ll want to replenish the supply of trimmer line and get back to work as quickly as possible.

Choose a model with tool-less line swap. The trimmer head will just snap off or can be removed using your fingertips so you can load up a new supply of trimmer line without breaking out your tool box.

Bump Feed or Auto AdvanceBump feed - Allows you to tap the head of the trimmer on the ground to release more line. As you trim, the line wears out and breaks off. With the bump feed feature, getting more cutting line is as easy as tapping the ground.

Auto advance - Is the easiest option when it’s time to get more line for your trimmer.

There are several types of auto advance; some trimmers have a button or lever that you push to advance more trimmer line to the cutting head. Other models will “sense” when the line needs to be advanced, and will feed it out automatically.